I was skeptical about how bad the divide between the two was till you guys brought it up on this thread. I watched the game last night, and since I was paying attention could feel the tension and awkwardness between the two , it is worse than I thought.

I remember listening to Harry Caray broadcasting from St Louis when I was in college at UI and being blown away by how good he was. Years later with the Sox he was godawful and impossible to listen to, especially when he droned on and on about what group or family was at the game. I also listened to Prince when I lived in central PA near the end of his career, and he was terrible, constantly moaning about the decline of the Pirates. (Of course that decline proved permanent -- a caution to those of us who favor rebuilding the Sox). In fact Prince sounded a lot like Hawk this year. I have been a big fan of Hawk and won't listen to any other broadcast of a Sox game, but this year he has become a cardboard caricature of himself, and I think his time is up. I like Stone a lot and hope he is the one who stays.

I was skeptical about how bad the divide between the two was till you guys brought it up on this thread. I watched the game last night, and since I was paying attention could feel the tension and awkwardness between the two , it is worse than I thought.

I agree. I listened with an ear toward picking up tension last nite,and it was very apparent that this marriage is over. Hawk would make a comment about miggy and dead silence. Stone only spoke when he had to with action on the field. It was the worst dynamic between two that I have ever heard....its ovah!

I have defended Hawk thru the years,but I am about ready for a change.
Stone is ok,but if this is going to be the atmosphere,something has to give.

I also listened to Prince when I lived in central PA near the end of his career, and he was terrible, constantly moaning about the decline of the Pirates. (Of course that decline proved permanent -- a caution to those of us who favor rebuilding the Sox).

Bob Prince was fired after the 1975 season. The Pirates had just won their 5th division title in 6 years, including a WS in 1971. They had a fearsome lineup and were not perceived in any way to be in decline. Pittsburgh continued to have winning seasons until 1983, except for the strike shortened year of 1981, including another WS win in 1979, piloted by Chuck Tanner. Prince could show a prickly personality and frequently clashed with Westinghouse Broadcasting management, which resulted in his ultimate dismissal. The decision was met with near universal scorn by fans in SW PA. Also Prince unlike Hawk was able to get along with his co announcers despite having that alpha personality. He did very well with both Jim Woods and Nellie King for example. Prince was called upon to announce some Penguin games on TV after leaving the Pirates. He was truly awful as a hockey announcer, calling the puck the ball and being totally unable to keep up with the swift tempo of a hockey game. He worked briefly for the Astros and it didn't work out for him. All of his little Pittsburghisms did not work in Texas. His schtick didn't work out well on Monday Night Baseball either. Prince died in 1985 of cancer. On May 3 of that year, despite the fact that he was weak and dying he announced two innings of a Pirates game in which they managed to score 9 runs, one for each year of his absence. The Pirates lost 104 games that year and were clearly in decline. The late Mayor Richard Caliguiri managed to put together a consortium that bought the team and kept them in Pittsburgh. Jim Leyland came aboard in 1986 and they were big winners again in the early 90's. So there it is. I have no idea where you are coming from.

I remember listening to Harry Caray broadcasting from St Louis when I was in college at UI and being blown away by how good he was. Years later with the Sox he was godawful and impossible to listen to, especially when he droned on and on about what group or family was at the game. I also listened to Prince when I lived in central PA near the end of his career, and he was terrible, constantly moaning about the decline of the Pirates. (Of course that decline proved permanent -- a caution to those of us who favor rebuilding the Sox). In fact Prince sounded a lot like Hawk this year. I have been a big fan of Hawk and won't listen to any other broadcast of a Sox game, but this year he has become a cardboard caricature of himself, and I think his time is up. I like Stone a lot and hope he is the one who stays.

When one achieves Beloved status, it doesn't matter how bad you are. I remember with fondness those family callouts with fractured pronunciations. "The Gingivitis family is here from PEE-otone!" "The Pterodactyl group says hello from Os-WHEE-go!"

I agree. I listened with an ear toward picking up tension last nite,and it was very apparent that this marriage is over. Hawk would make a comment about miggy and dead silence. Stone only spoke when he had to with action on the field. It was the worst dynamic between two that I have ever heard....its ovah!

I have defended Hawk thru the years,but I am about ready for a change.
Stone is ok,but if this is going to be the atmosphere,something has to give.

What is strange about this is that prior to September I thought Hawk and Stone's chemistry had never been better. Once the Sox started to slide in September though it became tense again as there were long, long, LONG silences by Hawk. He took this September very hard and while every fan did, we aren't being paid by the team to broadcast games.

In the back of my mind, I still remember the series from Oakland in 2003 when Rooney went over to the tv side and teamed with DJ. Hawk was out for some reason. It was a great series. Unfortunately, I think DJ's been relegated to the goofy sidekick role with Hawk and Farmer for the past 13 years. If he was ever teamed up with a real announcer, he'd probably be able to shine.

I remember DJ being pretty good on Fox broadcasts without Hawk's nonsense dragging him down.

__________________

Quote:

Originally Posted by Horsemaster Fred

This is the major leagues so get it how you live and letís fight tomorrow.

What is strange about this is that prior to September I thought Hawk and Stone's chemistry had never been better. Once the Sox started to slide in September though it became tense again as there were long, long, LONG silences by Hawk. He took this September very hard and while every fan did, we aren't being paid by the team to broadcast games.

Anybody catch Stone 's final remark. "...you learn some lessons and one thing you learn is that the clock is ticking and you have to enjoy what you do." If that wasn't a good bye, I don't know what it is.

Anybody catch Stone 's final remark. "...you learn some lessons and one thing you learn is that the clock is ticking and you have to enjoy what you do." If that wasn't a good bye, I don't know what it is.

Yeah, heard that, as well as the somewhat awkward brief silence from Hawk after Stone said that. I suspect you're right.

From Gonzo's postgame notes tonight: "Sox television announcer Steve Stone, who is in the midst of a multi-year contract, is expected to receive interest from other media outlets but would need permission to get out of his current pact."